US judge: California can't ban alligator imports, sales

A federal judge in California says that state cannot ban the importation and sale of crocodile and alligator products. Tuesday's ruling was a victory for the state of Louisiana, along with businesses challenging the ban in California, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Montana and Wyoming. The California ban had covered products made from alligators and two species of crocodile — Nile and Saltwater. All can be sold legally under international treaty and U.S. federal law. Mueller wrote that the California law illegally ran afoul of federal law, and she rejected arguments that California was only seeking to regulate activity within the state.